MOSCOW, May 31. /TASS/. Journalist Arkady Babchenko’s faked murder aimed at preventing an assassination attempt does not change Moscow’s view of Ukraine as a dangerous place for journalists, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"Thank God, the man is alive," he said. "But that does not change our view of Ukraine as a country dangerous for journalists. In fact, it does not change the situation," Peskov added.
"This incident is strange, to say the least," the Kremlin spokesman noted. "I don’t know whether the ends justify the means in this particular case," he said.
Kiev police reported on Tuesday night about a fatal attack on Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko, in which he had been allegedly gunned down. However, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) stated on Wednesday that it had prevented an attempt on his life through a sting operation. SBU chief Vasily Gritsak said at a briefing that the reporter was safe, after which Babchenko was trotted out in front of his fellow reporters.
Peskov also said that Ukraine’s law enforcement authorities should account for their words of Moscow’s alleged involvement in plotting Babchenko’s murder to avoid the mistake of their colleagues from London. He said that, responding to a request for comment about the corresponding accusations voiced by Gritsak.
"He [Gritsak] should account for his words, otherwise he will look like his British colleagues," Peskov noted.